The number of Canadians who may had been missing when tsunamis hit South and Southeast Asia this week is estimated at about 150, it is reported in Ottawa Saturday.

The number of deaths rose by one to five, as another Canadian was confirmed dead in Thailand, according to official sources.

Officials at the Foreign Affairs Department said Thai authorities are recovering far more bodies of foreign-looking tourists than expected, which lead them to believe that more Canadians must be among those caught in the catastrophe.

Anyone who has called the Foreign Affairs Department to report a missing person is urged to call again immediately if that person turns up alive, said Reynald Doiron, a department spokesman.

"I want to emphasize that the number of missing does not indicate in any way that there is a presumption that we have 150 people, who at the end of the day are going to be presumed missing" and assumed dead, said James Fox, the director-general for South and Southeast Asia in the Foreign Affairs Department. "This is just the best number that we have available right now," he added.

Source: Xinhua